Swaziland Just Changed Its Name to eSwatini

There are some things only an absolute monarch can get away with—like changing the name of the country you rule with a single pronouncement. On Thursday, King Mswati III of the tiny southern African nation of Swaziland did just that at a celebration of the country's Golden Jubilee, marking 50 years since it achieved its independence from Britain. Swaziland, the king announced, will now be known as eSwatini.

The new name translates to "land of the Swazi" in the local Swati language—so, basically, the same thing the old name meant, but without the portmanteau of English and Swati the British used when they ruled the country from 1903 to 1968. The king said the name switch is a break with the country's colonial past: Other countries in the region similarly changed their names upon achieving independence (Bechuanaland became Botswana, Nyasaland became Malawi, and Rhodesia became Zimbabwe).

"African countries on getting independence reverted to their ancient names before they were colonized. So from now on, the country will be officially be known as the Kingdom of eSwatini," the king, who is sometimes referred to simply as Ngenyama (or "the lion"), said in a speech at a stadium in Manzini, about 25 miles from the capital, Mbabane, Agence France-Presse reports.

He also said the move comes as a way to avoid confusion with another nation very far away: "Whenever we go abroad, people refer to us as Switzerland," King Mswati said. As the BBC reports, the king has actually referred to his dominion as eSwatini several times before, including during remarks made to the United Nations last fall. But this, a simple announcement from Africa's last remaining absolute monarch, makes it official. While some welcome the change, others note it's not where the king's priorities should be, according to the BBC. Swaziland has the highest HIV prevalence rate in the world (around 27 percent of its population of 1.3 million) and the king has been criticized internationally for human rights violations, including discrimination against women and the banning of all political dissent. Still, even an autocrat has to navigate a good deal of bureaucracy when instituting a change like this.

A number of overhauls will have to be made, including changing the constitution, amending its currency where the "Central Bank of Swaziland" is displayed prominently, and renaming government institutions, including the military.

Then, of course, there's the question of whether the name will stick. Swaziland isn't the first country in recent years to go for a name switch. In 2016, the Czech Republic announced it would be adopting the name Czechia as its official short name (Czech Republic would still be its "long name"—like the "French Republic" to "France"). But, as The Guardian reported, six months later, very few in the country were using "Czechia" to refer to their homeland, even as the government put great effort into making it part of the lexicon. Time will tell if Swaziland—er, eSwatini—has better luck.